The use of man-made glass dates back to as early as 4000BC. It wasn’t until 1851 that glass was used for the first time as a building material by architect, Joseph Paxton to construct The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park which housed the Great Exhibition. This inspired the public use of glass as a material for domestic architecture. Since then the use of glass as a building material has grown with architects using it as a way to create lighter and brighter spaces whilst keeping people safe. It is fair to say the most notable architectural designs built in the past ten years have been made of glass including 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin) and The Shard in London.
In 1898 the production of a steel-wire mesh incorporated into glass was introduced to the market to keep people safe and secure within a building. Over the years this has evolved to become what is now known as fire resistant glass, where resins or gels are inserted between glass panes to strengthen the integrity of the glass to heat and flames, helping to reduce the loss of life during a fire.
As health and safety professionals you may know that to reduce injury and the loss of life in the event of fire, fire safety regulations necessitate that the travelling distance to a final exit during an escape must be limited. Particular consideration needs to be made to dead-end corridors, that may feature walls or glass partitions that must have at least 30 minutes fire resistance to protect the escape route. If a fire breaks out in a building it is vital that people have every opportunity to evacuate safely and this can be helped by choosing the right building materials from the outset.
The standard requirement for fire resistant glass is 30 minutes which prevents flames from breaking through. Standard fire resistant glass can also maintain the amount of radiant heat on the exposed side so that it doesn’t transfer and potentially set light to a room or corridor that is the other side of the glass.
Pyroguard, fire glass solution specialists based in Merseyside, works with many designers and specifiers on choosing the most appropriate fire resistant glass to be installed either in a new build or refurbishment. One example is De Montfort University in Leicester, where a three storey building was converted into student accommodation. The university worked with fire protection consultant, Colt, to design a building that would offer maximum containment and fire protection, with particular consideration given to the communal spaces on each floor – which included a number of glazed areas. Pyroguard EI 30, was identified as the best solution for achieving maximum protection.
From working on this and other projects it is clear that buildings are now incorporating more open spaces and are striving to let light into enclosed areas through the medium of glass. Open spaces must still offer maximum containment and fire protection and this can be done by using fire resistant glass.
Glass has come a long way since it was first used back in 4000BC. Few of us can imagine modern life without glass. It is in almost every aspect of our lives, in our homes, our cars and workplaces. Glass as a building material can make a workplace not only safer but no doubt healthier allowing more natural light to shine through.
Adrian Gallagher, Technical Sales & Specification Manager at Pyroguard.
01483 414751jennyd@mconieagency.com
